By Edgar Treiguts, CNN
Editor's Note: Listen to the full story in our player above, or on SoundCloud, and join the conversation in our comments section below.
(CNN) - This Sunday, the Baltimore Ravens face the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl. The Ravens are just one of many examples in professional sports of franchises that pulled up roots and relocated.
The Ravens are the old Cleveland Browns, who left Ohio in 1996 for Baltimore and changed their name.
Franchises have threatened to move until getting what they wanted from their home city. And that trend is likely to continue.
In most cases, a team's 'want' is a new stadium or arena. And there's been a flurry of teams in the news lately looking for just that.
One of those is the NBA's Sacramento Kings. After years of trying to get a new arena, the team is close to being sold and leaving for Seattle – to a planned new arena in that city.
Neil deMause covers sports business and co-authored a book on stadium deals, "Field of Schemes." Make no mistake, he says, more than ever, sports is all about business:
[2:14] "Unfortunately, one of the ways that you can increase your profits is by getting somebody else to build you a new arena or stadium. And one way that team owners have found success in doing that is to threaten to move."
Listen to our story about what’s behind the flurry of relocation talk for sports franchises. And whether local governments and civic leaders are driving a harder bargain with teams asking for something new.
Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes or Stitcher. And listen to CNN Soundwaves on our SoundCloud page.
|
Posted by Edgar Treiguts -- CNN Filed under: Politics • Soundwaves • Sports • Stories |
Soundwaves is the online home of the CNN Radio network. If you like listening to news and stories you have come to the right place. Listen and comment here and take us with you using Soundcloud, Stitcher or iTunes. Send us your feedback.
soundoff (No Responses)